THE EXPERT: Public school kids do better at university

ATTENDING a private school may get you better marks on your report card, but it's the public school kids who tend to do better at university, an expert says.

Professor Jill Blackmore of Deakin University's School of Education said while it was more about the individual school, rather than the way it received its money, there were some minor differences with the private and public systems.

"We do know in some of those independent elite schools there can be a large amount of coaching so students tend to do quite well in their final exams, but not necessarily at university because they are not typically independent learners," Dr Blackmore said.

"Studies show when the private school kids get to uni, they can struggle because they are used to being coached and looked after, but the ones who come through the state schools are more resilient and independent."

That's just statistics talking. Every child is different and will react differently to their surroundings and as far as one being better than the other with private and public systems, Dr Blackmore said there was no 'better or worse' option.

She said while there was a perception 'paid' schooling was better than public education, parents should base their school selection on the attributes of the individual school - not the sector.

"We know in every sector there are schools that don't do as well as others with their NAPLAN scores, but they might do well in other things we don't know about," Dr Blackmore said.

"I know a lot of terrific schools that don't do so well in NAPLAN, but are brilliant schools for children because of what else they offer."

Ultimately, it comes down to the child, the family's circumstances and personal preference.